Running
by SW7KMETPA
Summary: Aeyai, once belonging to both Middle Earth and Skyrim, finds herself back in the towns she lived in as a young child and meeting men and women in roles she knew were other peoples when she was last there. What will happen when her pasts in both Middle Earth and Skyrim catch up with her and she must face decisions that will change her life forever?
1. Skyrim

**Ok. This is my first story on FanFiction so I will start by saying, I own nothing from Bethesda's works. Only Aeyai is mine... So far. **

**A lot of the speech involved will be different from the game. I wanted to make this story special to my character. **

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All I wanted was to move to Skyrim. Find a partner maybe, have children. Settle down. Live a happy, quiet life. Get a job mining or smithing or maybe open up a shop. But of course it wasn't that simple. I just so happened to run into an Imperial ambush.

Jolting awake, the first thing I noticed was that, contrary to normal mornings, I was sitting down instead of lying down. The next thing I noticed was that, whatever I was sitting on, was moving.

Opening my eyes, I realised that I was sitting in a cart with three men. None of them I had seen before in the 20 years I had lived in Middle Earth.

The men in the cart were all different from the others. One, a Stormcloak soldier who was blonde and, by the look of him, strong. The man sat next to him, wearing tatty clothing, was in the same position as me, innocent. To my right, another man was slumped. He gave off the distinct impression that he was, in some way, high ranking, perhaps a Jarl? I turned my attention to the blonde Stormcloak who had just leaned towards me.

"Finally awake? Was beginning to think you weren't going to awaken. I apologise for this, by the way. Not being one of us, but still getting caught up in the traps. Sorry. Anyway. How are you? You hit your head pretty hard." He said before lifting his bound hands to my head and awkwardly moving my hair out of my face.

"You have nothing to apologise for. This was not your fault. Yes I am awake. Would you do me the favour of answering a few of the questions floating around in my head sir?" I replied politely, as that was the way I was raised to be.

"Oh please, no 'sirs'. But of course, what would you like to know?" He sat back in his place but kept his eyes firmly on mine.

"Thank you. First of all, what are your names?" I said as I gestured to all three men.

"Well, I am Ralof. This guy." He pointed to the man in rags sat beside him "I do not know. Apologies. But the man you are currently sat next to." He gestured to the man, who, I had just noticed, had a rag wrapped tightly around his head with part shoved in his mouth, ensuring he could not speal. No doubt the work of one of the imperial soldiers. ".. is Ulfric Stormcloak", _THE Ulfric!?_ "Jarl of Windhelm and leader of the Stormcloaks". Ralof proudly stated, while Ulfric sat up at the mention of his name and looked at Ralof before turning his attention in my direction.

I simply waved and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you My Lord". I smiled sweetly, so as to not give off the wrong impression to the man who had such an influence in her life. In return he inclined his head slightly in recognition of what I had said. After a moment of 'analytical' thought on Ulfric, I turned my attention back to Ralof. "Now, secondly, I know I was caught in the middle of the firing line in one of the Imperial's ambush's, but can you tell me where we are headed?"

"But of course, miss…?" Ralof scrunched his eyes a little while trying to remember if I had told him my name or not.

"Aeyai."

"Aeyai. You have a beautiful name. Well Aeyai, we are going towards Helgen."

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**So. Let me know what you think. Am open to suggestions and ideas as to what might happen throughout the story.**

**:)**

**A.x**


	2. Thorin, I miss you

**Yes.. I skipped what happened in Helgen. Every story I have read so far has included every single detail about it. And also I wanted to get to my ideas as soon as possible. **

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After I escaped Helgen, Ralof and I set off for Riverwood where his sister, Gerdur lived with her husband. When we got to Riverwood and talked with Gerdur, she advised me to go and see Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun, to tell him of what happened in Helgen. I stayed in Riverwood for two days to recover my strength after running through the tunnels underneath Helgen with Ralof, who insisted on accompanying me on my travels to Whiterun.

"You know, you did not have to come with me to see the Jarl." I said while walking past a broken tower which lay abandoned at the side of the road. I looked at Ralof when he did not answer me, but found that he was simply chuckling at what I had said.

"Good company is hard to find in Skyrim, Aeyai. I have a tendency to keep good company when it comes around and you, Aeyai, are good company. Also, I need to report to Ulfric in Windhelm, and you, my friend, are coming with me to formally meet the Jarl." He grinned, glanced towards me and winked. "I saw the way you were looking at him in the cart, and I saw the way he looked at you aswell. I think that the only proper thing to do now, is to visit Whiterun, tell Balgruuf the situation in Helgen, and then introduced you, Aeyai, to the man you seem to have taken a liking to."

Only one thought crossed my mind when he said those words. _Thorin, I miss you._

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_Thorin, I miss you._

Thorin awoke with a start and bolted upright. He looked around but found no-one. _I was sure it was her. That is impossible though._ Aeyai's voice resonated through his head. The words pained him. He scrunched his eyes up and screamed loudly. When he opened his eyes, Dwalin, his best friend was standing in the doorway with his battle-axe drawn, looking around the room for any intruders.

"What's wrong!?" Dwalin shouted.

"It was her, I'm sure of it Dwalin!" Thorin shouted back.

Dwalin lowered his axe slowly until theend was resting on the floor of Thorin's bedchambers.

"Thorin, listen to me. You know it could not have been her. You know it in your heart." Dwalin walked across the room and places his hand on Thorin's shoulder to push him back down to the pillow to sleep.

"It was her damn it! Why won't you listen! I have to go and find her!" Thorin sat back up only to be roughly pushed back down onto the bed by his friend. Dwalin lowered his head to Thorin's ear and whispered;

"Thorin, we all miss her terribly. We all miss her. But we have to face it. Aeyai Halfsword... is dead."

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**Finally! This chapter took me hours to write. Had a little writers block. :L**

**Anyway! Let me know what you think. Am open to any suggestions for the way this story turns out. **

**I'm thinking of including quite a few of the Daedric quests involved in Skyrim but, currently, I'm not too sure of which ones to go for. Any ideas? **

**Yey!**

**A.x**


	3. Dragonsreach

**OK.. Here's chapter 3. Hope you like it.**

**Again, I own nothing from Bethesda's works... I only own Aeyai... for now. :) **

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****We pushed open the huge doors of Dragonsreach and, walking up the stairs, I noticed a blonde nord reclining on a throne chair at the end of the room underneath what seemed to be a dragon's skull. Numinex.

"Who are you to approach a Jarl?" A dunmer walked towards with her weapon drawn, ready to strike if necessary.

"It's fine Irileth, let them through!" the man on the throne said. Ralof stepped back as I moved forward to talk with the Jarl of Whiterun. "May I ask your name before I hear what you have to say?" he let his head drop slightly to one side as he asked the question.

"My name is Aeyai and my companion here.." I noticed that Ralof was a few paces behind me so I waved him forward. He moved to my side, all the while keeping his eyes on the Jarl. ".. is Ralof. I have come with a message. The town of Riverwood needs your help. A dragon attacked Helgen and their guard numbers are extremely low. My Jarl, I would ask that you send guards to help with their situation."

The Jarl nodded to his steward, who turned and walked up a flight of stairs I had previously not noticed. "Proventus will make those arrangements. Riverwood will receive our aid. Now. You and your companion must be hungry and weary. Please, we have spare rooms to accommodate you and there is plenty of food to share." He stood and walked to stand in front of me. He placed his large hands on my shoulders. "You are welcome in my home, as is Ralof." He then turned to walk up the stairs, gesturing for us to follow.

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The Jarl of Whiterun showed us to a room with two single beds and a door which, to my astonishment, lead to an en suite bathroom.

"I hope you find this room to your satisfaction. I will send someone with food, as you requested. Please do not hesitate, come to me if you need anything." He picked up my hand and gracefully bent his body at the waist. Keeping his eyes fixed on mine with lust written on his face, he places his lips gently on my wrist."Anything" he whispered.

"Thank you my Jarl..." I was interrupted as he raised his hand in a gesture for me to stop.

"Please. None of this 'Jarl' business. You are a guest in my home. Balgruuf will suffice." He smiled kindly towards me.

"Thank you, Balgruuf."

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**Well... Hope you liked it. :) Let me know what you think.**

**Am open to any suggestions or ideas that could be used in my story! **

**A.x**


	4. Mead and Wine

**Just couldn't wait. **

**Here's chapter 4. :)**

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Balgruuf walked out of his bedroom, having returned to his room to retreive a map Irileth had asked about. He turned towards the door that lead to the main hall where the others were, drinking.

As he reached the main hall, he noticed that the majority of those he was drinking with had vanished. Only Aeyai was left, turning her goblet with her hands on the spot on the table.

"Aeyai. Where are the others?" He asked seriously as he was sure he had not been in his room very long.

"They left to go to the Bannered Mare. I presume they plan on making some noise there instead." She stood and walked over to Balgruuf, who still held his face in a confused postion. Aeyai then turned and sauntered over to his throne and sat down gracefully. _She looks like she belongs on a throne._ He thought. Balgruuf smirked and walked to the table and picked up a jug of wine and a couple of bottles of mead. He held up the jug to Aeyai, silently asking whether she wanted any. She smiled. _That's a yes. _He poured one of the bottles of mead into a large cup sitting on the table and filled a goblet with wine, then turned, slowly walked to the throne and handed Aeyai the goblet.

"To... Alcohol" She shouted before drinking her goblet empty in a matter of seconds. Balgruuf drank to her toast but only drank half of his cup.

"Go on Balgruuf! Drink it! Or are you chicken?" she slurred with a mocking grin on her face.

Balgruuf simply smirked and drank the rest of his cup dry at a similar rate as she had done.

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After drinking the majority of the alcohol stored in the kitchen, Aeyai and Balgruuf sat on the floor in front of the throne, leaning back against it. Balgruuf simply listened to Aeyai talk about her family and her past. _She is so beautiful.. _

_"_Aeyai. Look at me." he said. She turned to face him and, as she did, Balgruuf took her face in his hands, pulled her towards him and planted his lips against hers firmly and passionately.

To his suprise, she kissed him back hungrily but pulled back after a few seconds and stood up, holding her hand out to him. He took her hand and, as she lead him up the stairs to the side of his throne, smiled to himself.

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I awoke in the morning to find that I was in a room I did not recognise until I sat up. I looked to my side to find Balgruuf snoring softly. _Oh no... _I looked down to find that I was, along with him, naked as the day I was born. I shifted in the bed to reach the glass of water on the cabinet at the side of the bed but, in my attempt, woke Balgruuf up by accident.

"Mmmm... Morning... wait..." he sat upright with a start and looked at me directly in the eyes. "Fuck. Aeyai. What have we done?"

"I know full well what you did. You were loud and I don't think many of the people who live here got much sleep." both me and Balgruuf jumped at the voice to find Irileth stood in the doorway with a grin on her face. _Smug bitch. _"Don't worry, I won't tell." Her expression changed and was now one of amusement as she turned and left Balgruuf and I to wonder what happened the night before.

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**So! What did you think? **

**Let me know your thoughts on this and any suggestions for future chapters. I would love to hear what you have to say. **

**What do you think Irileth will do with the knowledge she holds over them?**

**A.x**


	5. Nervous Revelation

**Yey Chapter 5. :) **

**I didn't know what to do with this one for a while. **

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Breakfast was awkward. I kept my eyes fixed on my plate the entire time to avoid looking at Balgruuf or Irileth. To end the silence that had spread through the room I turned my attention to Ralof who, to my suprise, was intently studying his food as though it was the most interesting meal he'd ever had.

"Ralof." I said. He raised his head and looked directly at me. "We should head out after breakfast. Ulfric will be waiting for your report."

"Of course. It will be good to get on the road." He replied. Ralof's mouth twitched up in a small smile before looking down to his plate again and began to eat quickly.

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Out on the plains outside of Whiterun, Ralof walked with his head down, not speaking.

"Ralof? Is something the matter?" I asked and turned my head to try and capture his attention but he simply carried on walking down the pathway. I ran after him. "Ralof?". He ignored me and just walked faster. "Ralof! Stop!" I shouted. He stopped in his tracks, still keeping his head down. "What is wrong with you?"

He turned to face me,"It doesn't matter. come on, we need to get to Windhelm." He forced a smile but his eyes betrayed him.

"Yes it does matter Ralof. You're my friend and if something is bothering you... What is it? You've only been acting strangely this morning. What happened?" I was sure my face showed concern to him, and I knew that I might have to push to issue a little with him before he gives in a tells me.

He took a deep breath, looked me in the eye and began to speak. "Balgruuf. Why Aeyai? Why him?" He genuinely look as though his heart was broken.

I stepped closer to him. "It was a drunken mistake Ralof. I promise you. Why does this bother you so much anyway?"

Ralof did not say a word, he only looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. "Well..."

"Oh... Oh Ralof. You should have told me. I thought you saw me as a friend at the most..." I was interrupted as Ralof had closed the distance between us, wrapped his arms around me and smashed his lips to mine, pushing me backwards slightly. To my utter suprise, I found myself kissing him back.

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Thorin made his way through the halls of Erebor with his head down in contemplation. Dwalin, seeing this, made his way over to his friend.

"Thorin?"

Thorin lifted his head with determination in his eyes, placed his hands on his friend's shoulders and began to speak.

"I am leaving Erebor. I am going to find her." He took his hands off Dwalin's shoulders and strolled past him, heading towards his chambers to pack his things.

"Thorin, she is..." Dwalin stopped as he was interupted by Thorin.

"She is not dead Dwalin! I have been thinking. I will find the woman I love. I know where she went." Thorin entered his chambers with Dwalin right behind him.

"So where is she then?" Dwalin walked over to a chair tht was sitting next to the fire in Thorin's room and watched his friend stop what he was doing and turn to him in disbelief. "I already have a pack ready for any trip I go on. I'm with you wherever you decide to go. Where is she Thorin"

"Skyrim."

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**Well then... There you go guys. :) Chapter five.**

**Let me know what you think. I would love to hear your reviews! OH! And send us a message with any ideas you may have and I'll put in as many as I can. Promise. :)**

**Any questions you may have will also be answered. :) **

**A.x**


	6. Riften Candlehearth Hall

**OK. Here's chapter 6. I know it's been a few days but I took some time to get my head around a few things. Apologies.**

**Thank you to Ladymoonscar for my first 'favourite'. :) May your days be full of joy and happiness.**

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****I was the one to break the kiss in the end as Ralof seemed to not want to let me go. I smiled at him and picked up my pack which had fallen from my shoulders from the force of the kiss.

"We should probably get to Windhelm you know." I said to Ralof as he looked at me, very differently than he had done a few minutes earlier i might add.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to keep Ulfric waiting, hm?" He replied and I was sure he was thinking I had rejected him. I quickly closed the short distance between us and chastly placed my lips on his in a silent way of expressing what I felt.

We walked and did not stop until we reached Candlehearth Hall in Windhelm. Ralof rented a room for us, only one because we were trying to save our money as much as we could and it was too late at night to argue with anyone. When we had eaten and drank a bottle of mead each, both myself and Ralof were so tired that we simply walked to our room holding each other upright, dropped to the bed and fell asleep instantly.

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"Thorin! Do you know where we are?" His youngest nephew asked as they entered a seemingly fortified city in the south of Skyrim. Fili and Kili had insisted on coming along with him and Dwalin on their trip to Skyrim and complained so much to him that Thorin had no choice but to allow them to accompany him and his best friend and right-hand man, for fear of never hearing the end of the complaining that his nephews would dole out to him.

"No Kili. I've been in Skyrim 3 times. Not really enough time during any to fully explore the place." Thorin said to his youngest nephew. A man walked past him with shaggy blonde hair and the features of one of the men from Dale that Thorin had known well when he was younger before all the business with Smaug... No. He would not think about that anymore. He had promised. "Excuse me sir. Would you mind telling me what town this is?" He kindly asked the man he knew nothing about.

"Of course not. This is Riften, sir. Are you here for any specific business?" The man replied in as soft a tone as he could manage.

"Thank you. I do apologise but I can not divulge my mission to strangers. I must ask. Have you seen a women with long blonde hair, usually pinned up in complex braids on her head walking around here?" Thorin asked the man who seemed to be disheartened at the fact that Thorin would not tell him why he was in Skyrim.

"No sir I haven't. Please excuse me." He said before turning on his heels and walking away.

Thorin turned to Dwalin sharply. "She doesn't seem to be here. But I will find her if I have to ask every man, woman, child, Daedra or animal in Skyrim and search every city and town. I will find Aeyai."

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When I woke the next morning, I woke alone. Ralof was not to be seen in the room but, as I left the room we had rented and made my way up the large staircase the down the hall, I saw him sat in a corner sipping from a tankard, presumably filled with mead. I backed down the staircase and quickly ordered two bottles of mead and, after the innkeeper handed me the bottles, made my way back up the stairs and across the floor to the table Ralof was sat at. I took a chair across from him and looked directly into his eyes.

"Ralof, I must tell you something. It may take me a while to explain if you ask for the explanation, but I would ask that you do not get angry or jealous in any way. Please?" I leant forward as I spoke to make sure no-one in the room could hear me speaking.

"Go ahead. I promise I will try not become angry or jealous because of what you are about to tell me" He leaned forward aswell, so far that our foreheads were touching.

"OK. I will say this in words that were said to me... but differently... I have fallen in love once and will fall in love many times in my lifetime. I have broken hearts and I have mended broken hearts. I have killed and I have lived a life I would not wish on any other. On the other hand. I have lived many lifetimes that were blissful and lovely and I would go back to those if I could but I can't. I must face my destiny. I have loved many times before and in the coming times, I will love many times with many different men. Do you understand?"

Ralof did not say a word, but stood and left Candlehearth Hall.

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**So ! What did you think!? Any ideas I can use? PM me with them and I would be grateful for any reviews. **

**A.x**


	7. Oh Thorin

**OK... Chapter 7. Here we go. **

**Just a warning about this one... Flashback and a sex scene. :) **

**Tis my first time writing something like this and I hope it sits well with you all.**

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****The four Dwarves spent minimal time in Riften before buying some more supplies from the market in the centre of the town and walking out of the main gate and heading West.

"Uncle?May i ask you something?" Thorin heard his eldest nephew call out from a few paces behind where he was speaking with his brother.

"Yes Fili." He replied.

"What happened between you and Aeyai to make her leave so fast?" Fili's voice wavered when he said her name and he seemed to be nervous about asking the question. Thorin stopped in his tracks, causing the other 3 dwarves to quickly follow his actions and stop as well. Thorin sighed, turned to Dwalin with a sad look on his face and spoke.

"We'll make camp here." He said before turning around and laying his bedroll on the floor and heading out to gather some wood for a fire.

Around 2 hours later, Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili had set up their camp, eaten and were now sat around the fire. Thorin did not move a muscle in his body, but began to speak while still gazing into the fire.

"It took me a long time to understand Aeyai and when I finally did, it was too late..." Thorin paused as a memory came to his head.

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**(Flashback)**

Thorin and Aeyai had been in a meeting with Thranduil all day and, after walking through the halls of Erebor for what seemed like forever, they reached Thorin's bedchamber. He wrapped his arms around her almost immediately after she had shut the door behind them. Aeyai giggled and span around his his arms to place her lips against his.

Thorin chuckled and pulled away. Aeyai moaned at the loss of the contact but the moan soon changed as Thorin began kissing his way down her jaw, neck, shoulder...

"I think you may need to change Aeyai. A dress is not suitable for what I have in mind." He smirked at her and glanced down towards her simple blue dress that Dis had bought her the week before. "we wouldn't want to rip it now, would we?"

"Oh Thorin, you've been saying that to me for weeks. Teasing me with all your... You're not going to end up taking me hunting again are you this time?" Aeyai placed her arms around Thorin's neck and smiled sweetly to him. "You know I don't like hurting animals." She pouted.

"I know sweetie. And this time is different I promise. Now.." Thorin bent down to place his lips on the soft skin below Aeyai's ear before growling into her ear. "Take the dress off before I rip it off you.." His voice had always had the remarkable ability to make Aeyai moan, sometimes he did it in public and she was sure he did it for the thrill of her embarrassment. "It is such a pretty dress too.."

"Oh Thorin.. You always know what to say." Aeyai grinned before reaching up to untie the laces at the top of Thorin's tunic. She pushed the fabric away from his muscular shoulders and pushed herself towards him.

Thorin groaned at the feel of her. He moved both of his hands up her back and untied the laces at the back of her dress before pulling the sleeves over her shoulders and watched as the dress pooled at her feet. He smirked.

"Do you always dress like this to meetings?" he said to her as she began to caress the skin on his shoulders and run her hands over the thin covering of hair he had developed, as a youngling, on his chest.

"No. Only today my King." Aeyai looked up at him from under her lashes. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes. Of course it is a problem" he said,but he didn't push her away or tell her to stop. "The problem is that I was only told about this right now"

Thorin wrapped his arms fully around her and lifted her. He carried Aeyai over to the large bed in the centre of the room and places her down carefully on the edge. He grinned, fell to his knees and, before Aeyai could question what he was doing, he pressed his mouth to her clit, making her scream out loud. He smiled against her and began to kiss and lick the folds between her legs, making Aeyai moan from the pleasure she was receiving. She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head away from her.

"As much as I could sit here and let you do that to me all day..." she began before Thorin interrupted her.

"Then why won't you let me?" He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Take me Thorin. Please?" she let go of his hair, this allowed him to stand up in front of her smiling.

"As you wish, my Queen." He heard her gasp at the name but quickly stopped the gasp as he pressed his mouth against hers hard. "Sorry. I know. Sorry."

"It's fine.." she smiled into the kiss "Fuck me Thorin."

Thorin's pants and underwear had fallen to the ground by this point as Aeyai had managed to undo the clasp holding them to his hips in the short time he had been kissing her. He smirked at the thought. "Gladly."

Thorin pushed Aeyai down onto the bed and laid over her, placing his length at her entrance before pushing into her slowly, kissing her to hold her moans. He thrust into her slowly, still kissing her before he felt her walls contract around him.

"Come for me." he whispered into her ear before he felt her clamp down on him, preventing him from moving as she came. The feelings provoked his orgasm as he came inside her, groaning loudly at the feeling.

Thorin pulled himself out of Aeyai and dropped down on the bed beside her, pulling her to his side before letting sleep take over his thoughts.

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**(Back to the camp)**

"Thorin?" Dwalin said from the King's side."Are you OK?"

"Yes. I am fine Dwalin. Get some sleep. I thought I would be able to tell this story but it would seem I am not. I am sorry Fili, maybe some other time." Thorin stood and headed to his bedroll, laid down and drifted off to sleep.

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**So... There you go. Let me know what you think. Any ideas you may have would be greatly appreciated in this story. I promise to try to include as many of your suggestions as possible. **

**A.x**


	8. Immortal

**Sorry for the delay in the update. I was ill for the last few days. Sincere apologies. **

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****It was a few hours later when Ralof walked back in to Candlehearth Hall. He walked straight up to the table I was sat, nursing a bottle of mead, at, and sat down opposite me, with a blank expression on his face, showing nothing of his thoughts. We sat in silence for what seemed like 'ages', so I decided to break the tension and explain myself.

"Ralof-" I was cut off by him interrupting me.

"I know. You didn't mean what you said right?" he looked at me, his face betraying all the sadness he felt. I nodded my head slightly to show that he was correct. "OK. Will you tell me what you meant then?" He leant over the table on his forearms.

"Of course." I took a long breath and carried on. "I am immortal." I looked directly into his eyes and saw he was not expecting me to say those words. "a long time ago, I met a wizard, by the name of Pallando, and he told me that, in the future, I would love and lose and never die. Since then, I've tried not to fall in love or become too attached to anyone." I looked away from him as the bartender came to our table with 2 bottles of mead and placed them both down in front of me.

"Well... I.. I don't know what to say. Im sorry for walking out like that Aeyai. I didn't know your full situation. Forgive me?" He dropped his head but looked up towards me expectantly.

"Of course Ralof. You have nothing to be sorry for, it is I who should be sorry, I did not fully explain the situation to you, but I did not want to revisit the past again-" again Ralof interrupted me.

"No. You should not be sorry. Now. Should we go and see the Jarl of this lovely town?" Ralof stood and reached out his hand towards me, which i took and he pulled me out of my chair.

"Ulfric?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Aye. Ulfric"

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**There you have it. Let me know what you think. Your reviews would be appreciated as I would love to hear your thoughts on this story and if theres any scenarios or anything you think I could add. Don't hesitate to tell me and I'll see if I can add them into my story. :)**

**A.x**


	9. Palace of the Kings

**Right then. Just a note before I carry on with the story.**

**I just make this story up as I go along. Initially, there was no plot. Just thoughts in my head after playing Skyrim for a bit.**

**OK. Here we go. **

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Walking through the huge doors of the 'Palace of the Kings' as Ralof told me it was called, I was immediately hit by a blast of warmth from inside. A big difference from the cold outside in the rest of Windhelm. Ralof walked ahead of me as I paused to look around and marvel at the large throne room we now found ourselves in. I walked slowly forward and passed a long table holding only one man at the far end of the bench. Reaching the end of the table, I looked back forwards to find Ralof and, to my suprise, Ulfric, both staring intently at me with amusement clear on their faces. Ulfric was leaning forward with his forearms on his knees and Ralof, stood in front of the throne, hands by his sides.

"Do you like it then Aeyai?" Ulfric said before leaning back in his chair and resting his left arm on the arm of the chair, still looking at me, but now expectantly aswell as amused.

"Yes, sir. I have never been in a room as large as this." I said, while looking directly at him.

"Despite spending so much time with royalty?" he raised one eyebrow at me, smirking slightly. I stood, shocked, gaping at him for knowing that information "yes, I know who you are and of your past with the King under the Mountain. Tell me... Why are you in Skyrim Aeyai?" he pushed himself forward to stand up and make his way over to where I stood.

"I... " I did not get the opportunity to explain myself as I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. Before I collided with the ground, I felt a pair of strong arms catch me and lift my body away from any contact with the ground.

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Thorin and the dwarves reached Whiterun in two days, only taking so long as Fili and Kili stopped to pull a disastrous prank on an unsuspecting boy in the small village of Riverwood, causing Thorin and Dwalin to spend 6 hours stood explaining Thorin's nephews' behaviour to the victim of their prank.

A guard stopped the dwarves on their way through the main gate asking for their 'business in Whiterun'.

"We come seeking a woman by the name of Aeyai. Perhaps you've heard of her?" Kili spoke up to the guard.

"Go see Jarl Balgruuf. I'm sure he'll be able to give you some information on who you are looking for." the guard spun on his heels and shouted up to another guard who was stood on the stone above the doors.

"Open the gates!"

The wooden gate swung open surprisingly fast for a structure that size. The dwarves quickly walked through, Dwalin thanking the guard as he walked past. The gates closed behind them and they took a moment to look around them at the town they had just entered.

"Any idea where the Jarl would be?" Fili asked Thorin, who turned right and walked up to a woman who seemed to be smithing a war axe. _She could be beneficial in any violent situations we may face._ Thorin thought as he strode up to her, looking every bit the King he was, though smaller than any person Adrianne had ever seen in Whiterun before.

"Excuse me miss.." Thorin said. "you wouldn't happen to know where we could find the Jarl of this fine town do you?" he stood straight with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Of course." she pointed out the directions the dwarves should follow to find Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun before turning, picking up the war axe she was working on and sitting down to work some more on it via the grindstone.

The four dwarves walked through Whiterun without a care to what the residents of the town thought of them. They simply needed to see a Jarl about a woman.

* * *

When I awoke, I was in a strange room. There was no-body around when I finally opened my eyes and I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. I sat up and looked around to find myself in a luxurious bedroom, that I could only assume was the Jarl's. _Why would he bring me to this bedroom, there was surely more bedrooms closer to where we were. He shouldn't have carried me all this way._

I stood and slowly made my way to the door. Opening the door, I found a female guard stationed outside. I tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around, smiled at me and lead me through some corridors, then finally, down a set of stone stairs and into a small room with a large table in the centre holding a map. She turned left and I followed her.

I found myself back in the throne room and the guard I was with cleared her throat loudly and gained the attention of both Ralof and Ulfric who were both holding tankards of, what I assumed was alchohol, and also a few other men who were sat with the Jarl and Ralof laughing over a joke that one of the Soldiers had said.

"Aeyai! Come and join us! There's plenty for everyone!" Ulfric shouted, without slurring his words at all. He stood and made his way over to me, holding his hand out for me to take. I took it and he lead me back to the bench. The men on Ulfric's side of the bench shuffled down to make room for me as I sat down and shuffled a little so Ulfric could sit. Ralof held out a tankard to me, which I took gratefully. The man sat next to Ralof raised his drink into the air and shouted.

"Cheers!" he exclaimed before bringing his tankard to his lips and drinking deeply. I followed suit and soon, everyone sat on the benches was drinking deeply from their tankards.

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**OK. Quite a long chapter compared with most of the others. But...**

**Let me know what you guys think. Any suggestions are welcome. Any situations you want or think Aeyai or any of the characters should get in to. Let me know and I'll try and put in some requests of yours. :)**

**A.x**


	10. Hangover I know where she is

**OK! New chapter. Krosis for the wait but I had a bit of writers block and had no idea what to put in this chapter. **

**Cheese and cookies for all you readers. **

**On with the story. :) **

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Opening my eyes, I winced at the light in the room before quickly shutting my eyes again to escape the blinding sight. My head hurt and was pounding around my skull. Sitting up, I braced myself and opened my eyes again. I had no idea where I was or what had occurred the night before but, thankfully, as I looked to both my sides, I found had no-one with me in the bed. A thought occurred to me though. _Ralof. _

"Ugh... Never again am I to drink so much in one night." I said aloud to the empty room.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and, as my feet touched the floor, I swiftly brought them back up on to bed, realizing the floor was almost blisteringly cold.

"Of course. No-one has warm floors here in Skyrim." I rolled my eyes and steeled myself for the feeling of the floor again.

As I stood up, I looked down at myself to find I was not wearing my armor as I was the night before, but a long white nightgown. _Pretty._ I thought as I crossed the floor to where my armor was resting messily on the table and chairs in front of a fireplace which was still burning, oddly.

I put my armor on as quickly as I could while harboring the head ache I had gained. Leaving the room I remembered I was in Windhelm and did not know my way around. I found a male guard on duty just around the corner from my room.

"Excuse me. Could you please direct me to the main hall?" I asked with a deeper voice that I was used to. I assumed it was because of the morning hangover.

"Of course miss. Please follow me." He began walking before he had finished his sentence, causing me to jump as he turned. I jogged to keep up with his fast pace.

Suprisingly, I was not far away from the main hall as it took a mere minute for the guard to guide me there before he swiftly turned and walked back the way we had come.

"Thank you!" I shouted back after him before turning back towards the large hall to find Ulfric, Jorleif, Galmar, Yrsaralad and Wuunferth all sat eating breakfast.

"Good morning." Jorleif said to me after noticing I was stood in the doorway. Ulfric turned to me and beckoned me to a seat next to him on the bench by the table.

"Where's Ralof?" I asked loudly enough so that all five men could hear me.

"Right here Aeyai." I started at the voice and turned to find Ralof stood in the doorway I had just vacated, fully clad in Stormcloak armor.

"Ah. Good morning Ralof. Sleep well?" I asked with a slight smirk on my face.

He did not reply for a few moments but walked to the table and sat down next to Galmar. "Yes" was the only response I received.

"Did you?" I heard Ulfric ask at my side.

"Yes thank you." I smiled but my smile swiftly morphed into a frown as I looked around and found five of the men, excluding Wuunferth, all chuckling quietly. "What?" I demanded of Ulfric.

"Nothing." He regained his composure quickly and went back to eating the leeks on his plate. "Eat." he gestured briefly at the table filled with food.

"Hmm. Did I do something to make you all laugh? Am I a jester now?" I stood abruptly, pushing the bench backwards and almost knocking Ulfric out of is spot. I slammed my hand down on the table before turning and walking through the heavy doors to the cold air of Windhelm. As I closed the door behind me, I heard a loud outburst of laughter from the men and Wuunferth yell.

"I can not believe you did not tell her! She will not be pleased with any of you when... if she returns."

* * *

"... Alright. Well.. When did she leave?" Thorin demanded of the Jarl of Whiterun.

"A few days ago. I know not where she went to. I apologise." Balgruuf kept his head down as he address the King under the Mountain.

"Why are you keeping your head down. What did you do!?" Thorin shouted at the terrified man.

"I don't know! No-body will tell me! Please don't hurt me!" The Jarl cowered in his throne, wishing he had not dismissed his staff from the room.

"I know what they did." a soft voice spoke from the shadows.

"What happened!? And why are you here and not back in your home!?" Thorin shouted at the space, knowing exactly who was listening to their conversation.

"It is not for me to say. You had better ask Aeyai. She left for Windhelm a few days ago, wanting to talk to Ulfric Stormcloak with a man named Ralof. And as for your other question. She left in a rush from Erebor and, as you know, me and her were close. Anyway, I left shortly after her and came to Skyrim wondering why she would come back here. I had hoped to find out what had made her leave so abruptly, but I haven't been able to ask her yet." the dwarf said before stepping out of the shadows and making his way to his old friends.

"Fine. Show me where Windhelm is. I assume you know?" Thorin asked the younger male before turning and leaving Dragonsreach and it's Jarl stunned as to why the odd-haired dwarf had sneaked into the palace and how he had done it without detection.

As Thorin and the dwarves left the building, he turned to the new arrival and said. "If you left at the same time as her, why, in the name of Durin have you not been able to talk to her yet?"

"I wanted to see what she would do in a place like this. Now, follow me and I will take you to Aeyai.. Well.. If she is still there." the dwarf turned and sauntered across the bridge, with the other dwarves in tow.

Thorin stayed back for a few moments and thought. _Why is he here.. How did he get out of Erebor without being questioned.. I shall have to question Dori when I return.. If I return._ Then he spoke aloud, confusing the guards who were leaving Dragonsreach to begin their watch over Whiterun. "I will figure you out one day Nori." he said before running to catch up with the elusive dwarf.

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**YEY! :) There you go! Didn't think it was the best it could have been. But there you go. **

**Send me a review with any thoughts. Any prompts for the future of this story or anything you might want me to write would be greatly appreciated as I love writing and I especially love writing for you jellybabies who read it. :)**

A.x


	11. Tattoos

**I knozw its been a while. But i think I got everything sorted now and the updates should come a faster now. :)**

**Enjoy. **

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I walked through Windhelm silently, avoiding the gaze of the residents of the cold city. Why did they laugh? Was it something I did the night before? I know I was drinking and probably quite a lot. Was there something on my face? I rubbed my hands over my face and found nothing I could feel on my face. Maybe someone drew on my face while I was asleep? They wouldn't do that would they? Who knew what drunk people here did these days. It had been a long time since I had stayed in this town long enough to find out about habits. Last time was... with Thorin. I walked through each 'quarter' of the town, silently noticing that each division seemed to hold a barrier between the kinds of people I would find.

The 'grey quarter' as I was told it was called, was full of elves. My slight dislike for the elves came back to me and I recalled the dispute between Thranduil and Thorin that was caused by the Elven Lord not bringing help when the dragon Smaug took over Erebor. That time destroyed the man Thorin was as he was forced to become King in such a short space of time, what with his grand-father attempting to face Azog alone, with only one follower, who reported the king was dead, and his father going off to reclaim their homeland, again alone, and never being heard from again until 100 years later when Thorin himself set off with a band of dwarves to reclaim the land they lost and succeeded.

I thought deeply of that quest. 13 dwarves, a wizard, a hobbit and myself. Not the most likely to succeed in the mission but succeed we did, with the help of Bard the Bowman of Laketown who became King of Dale later on. I cared not where I walked as I thought. I almost lost 3 of the people I had become closest to during my time in Middle Earth and each one was in line to be King of Erebor. Thorin. Fili. Kili. I saw them hit with grievous wounds on the battlefield. I saw my friends try and help. I saw the big black bear carry them away and I remembered smiling as it did so. Beorn. Another of the people of Middle Earth I missed so much. When I went to find the royal family of Durin, I found each one of them in separate stretchers in the room, being tended to by numerous people.

Smiling to myself I was brought back to the present as I walked into someone. As I tried to apologise, I felt hands grip my arms as attempted to swivel around them. I heard the other person apologise to myself as we both carried on walking. I looked to find my surroundings not those of the 'grey quarter' but those of one of the other quarters in Windhelm. There was a small marketplace and a forge. Walking through this area, I walked past the forge, relishing in the feeling of the heat the flames were giving off.

Eventually I found myself back in the Palace of the Kings. I walked through the throne room, ignoring the looks I was receiving from Ulfric and Jorleif and made my way down the slope to the side of the room into the kitchens were I found the chef. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I have a question and I know you'll answer won't you?" I said to him as I stood in the doorway as he milled about the room preparing dinner for the guests that were due to arrive in 2 hours.

"Of course my lady. What is it you would like to know?" he glanced at me as he worked, not stopping but his attention was definately divided.

"Thank you. Now. This morning, I sat down to breakfast with Ulfric, Galmar, Jorleif, Yrsarald, Wuunferth and Ralof and each one of them started laughing at me. Can you tell me why?" he stopped where he was and looked at me, his eyes widned before he spoke.

"My lady, it is..." he stopped as he was interrupted by a voice behind me.

"because of what is on your face, Aeyai." I spun round to meet Ulfric, who had spoke. I found him grinning less than a meter away from me.

"Why? what is on my face?" I moved my hands again to rub across my face, not finding anything, before dropping my hands by my sides.

Ulfric pulled at my hand and pulled me up the slops and back into the throne room. We did not stop there for he pulled me through the throne room, through the side room, holding Yrsarald and Galmar who simply looked up from the map on the table in the middle of the room holding all blue flags. Ulfric pulled me up the stairs and down the corridors to a large bedroom at the end. He spoke to the guard stationed outside the room. "Bring we a bucket of water. Quickly." he pulled me into the room. "This is my room, I know. And yours is just down the hall but i knew you'd probably shout and this room is more soundproofed than the others."

He sat down in a chair to the left of us and gestured for me to sit in the other chair, to which I obliged, dropping down uncaringly. The silence that fell over us was deafening.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door "My King? I have your water." a voice from the other side spoke warily.

"Come in." the door opened slowly and the guard holding a small bucket of water looked around the room before he found us. He brought the water and placed it on the floor in front of us before turning quickly and almost running out of the room. Ulfric picked up the pale of water and handed it to me. I looked into it and what I saw shocked me. I looked up to Ulfric, who looked at me concerned.

"What did you do to my face Ulfric!?" I shouted, not caring if anyone heard my voice. I saw Ulfric chuckle and lean forwards with his forearms on his knees as he spoke to me.

"I didn't do anything. This was your doing. Don't take this badly, but you really should learn to control your drink Aeyai." he said softly, as though to a child.

"I am not a child Ulfric. Tell me! What happened.!?" I shouted, standing up and walking further into the room quickly. My arms folded over my chest, I turned to Ulfric who was still sat in the same space.

He seemed to think for a couple of minutes before looking up at me in realisation of something. "You are the only person to speak to me like that in over 10 years Aeyai. Why?" his eyes darkened and he stood. I did not know what to do. I backed up and reached a wall. Oh dear.

"I don't know! It just happens! It was the same with Thorin..." I stopped. "Fuck.." I looked at him and found his eyes had softened again. "What happened to my face Ulfric?" I resigned everything and just asked.

Ulfric dropped his head in surrender but looked up at me. "We were drinking. A lot. And you decided you wanted a tattoo. Ralof tried to stop you but you were determined to get a tattoo so you kissed him.. hotly I might add, which left him speechless as you pushed past him and walked out of the palace. We followed you and me, being in a similar state as you, directed you to the only man in Windhelm who would do it for you... I'm sorry Aeyai."

I stood and listened, realising there was nothing I could do about it now. It was done... "you got one too didn't you?" I moved forward a few strides and found myself half a meter away from Ulfric, who raised his head towards me and nodded slightly. "Show me?" this situation was becoming more amusing somehow. Even though my face was still tattooed, but i could cover that easy enough.

Ulfric resigned to that and shrugged out of the furs covering his shoulders, untied the laces of his tunic and pulled one side of the fabric down to show the tattoo that rested over his heart. "Oh."

"Yeah. That's why I didn't laugh at yours when the others did this morning." I did not know what I was doing before it was too late as I placed my hand over the tattoo on his chest, covering it whole and remembering when that mark was my life. I felt his muscles tense under my hand and looked at him. "I don't know much about you Aeyai.." he moved away from me and covered his mark up again. "But I know that you now hold the marks of Durin and Stormcloak interwoven on your face and I the marks of both your family name and... Durin, tattooed on my chest. I have only heard this happen once before and it didn't end well." my eyes widened as I had heard of this instance before but somehow different. "You know of it?"

"Yes. But I know if it in the legends of Middle Earth, not Skyrim. And there were not only 2 people involved or only 2 tattoos either." I felt my knees grow weak as I sat down at the step in the centre of the room. Ulfric sat next to me.

"We have to do something Aeyai." he sighed.

"We have to talk to Thorin. You will understand why soon enough." I stood again after a few seconds and made my way to the door, feeling a familiar presence in my mind.

"But he is still in Erebor, is he not?" Ulfric stood and followed me.

"No Ulfric. He is here."

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**There we go. :) Hope you liked it.**

**A.x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Heres the next chapter. :) Enjoy.**

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****Walking down the stairs, the shouting became clearer the closer we got to the throne room. I recognised his voice as soon as he began yelling, presumably at Galmar. No-one was mean enough to shout at Jorleif. He was nice to everyone and I had not seen one person be mean to him in return. I pulled the mask over my face and carried on walking towards the voices.

"Tell me where she is, right now or I swear to Mahal i will kill you where you stand!" I rounded the corner through the 'map room' to those words and smirked at what I saw. Thorin was so much smaller that Galmar. It truly was comical.

"I'm right here Thorin." I spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. I smiled at Thorin and saw his eyes widen in shock.

"Aeyai? Is that you?" he said as he came closer, peering slightly to see my eyes.

"Yes, Thorin. It's me, but I have something I have to tell you... alone." I inclined my head a little in question and saw him nod, confusion clear in his eyes. "Come with me. You lot!.." i shouted to the other dwarves who were watching us with some interest. "Stay here. Jorleif, would you get them some food? That should stop them from tearing the palace to peices." I smiled at the terrified steward before turning and walking back the way I had come, Thorin following close behind, as I lead him up the stairs and down the corridor.

"What is it Aeyai? Why is your face covered? Why did you leave Erebor?" He questioned as we entered the end bedroom in the corridor, which held Ulfric who had stayed in the same place as he was sat in when I had left to retrieve Thorin. I turned and sat down, looking back at the dwarf who now stood confused just inside the doorway. "What happened to talking alone?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Sit down, Thorin." I gestured to the empty chair that had been brought into the room while I was downstairs, clearly. Thorin's face flashed intense confusion as he slowly came closer to the table, dropping down into the chair. Breathing slowly, I thought about how to start.

"Aeyai, take off your mask and show him." Ulfric reclined in his chair, reaching out to pick up the tankard on the table closest to him.

"Show me what? Aeyai?" He looked to me, worried.

Sighing, I reached up and removed the mask from my head, pulling it off and holding it in my hands on my lap. I saw Thorin's eyes widen in surprise. The three of us waited in silence for what felt like hours, before Thorin spoke.

"Wha... Why? How? When?" he stuttered out. He sounded angry. "Is that the mark of Durin?" he asked. I nodded to him and heard him sigh. "And the mark of Stormcloak?" he mumbled.

"Yes."

"When?" he sat up a little straighter.

"What?"

"When did this happen?" he explained, breathing a little heavier as he watched my response.

I took a deep breath and looked to Ulfric who, thankfully, explained what happened that night to the suspiciously quiet dwarf, whom, turned his gaze to me after Ulfrics recollection of the events.

"You don't remember anything about it?" he asked, oddly calm about the situation. I shook my head. Thorin looked down for a moment in thought and turned his attentions back to Ulfric. "She has the mark of both of our houses tattooed on her face. I'm assuming you have one aswell?" he raised his eyebrows in question at the, obviously nervous Nord.

"Yes." he replied, not wanted to elaborate.

"Where?" Thorin pushed, to which, Ulfric raised his hand and pressed it over his heart. I saw Thorin's expression change slightly. He stood, pushing the chair back, and began pacing. "This is odd."

"We know." Ulfrics voice joined my own. I stood and, still holding the mask I had not stopped worrying between my hands, walked to Thorin, turning him to me and looking directly into his eyes. His gaze flicked between the mark on my face and my eyes.

"What do you know?" I asked him, desperate to hear his answer.

"I know of a situation similar to this, but it didn't end well." Thorin said, his eyes sad.

"You have one too.. Don't you?" Ulfric spoke up from the corner in which he still sat. He stood as he spoke, looking directly at Thorin as though willing him to say no.

"I do. Though I don't think I received mine in the same way you two did." Thorin said as he started pacing again, slowly gettting further from me.

"Thorin." He did not stop. "Thorin!" he stopped and looked at me. "Show me?"

Thorin sighed and faced me fully. He moved the fur on his shoulders and dropped his coat on the floor, ignoring Ulfrics silent protest, moving the fabric of the layers he wore to reveal a mark. Over his heart.

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**OK. I'll be honest, i have no idea where i'm going with this. But hopefully everything should become clear. In my head anyway.  
Got any questions/ideas? let me know. Drop me a PM or leave a review and I'll answer any questions for you. :)**

**A.x**


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